In comparison to Q3, the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) dropped by almost 50% in Q4 2022. This quarter saw the second lowest number of listings recorded (after 2010) since Q1 2016, which had only 14 IPO listings. Both traditional and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs saw a significant decline by the end of 2022. Compared to Q4 2021, the number of traditional IPOs declined by 88%. Similarly, the number of SPAC IPOs declined by 95%.

In this article, Audit Analytics takes a closer look at the drastic decline in the number and size of initial public offerings during the fourth quarter of 2022.